Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The Apples Sure Don't Fall Far From the Tree

A million years ago, like, back in May, I agreed to join a book group here in Moscow, largely because my friend was part of the group.

We all nominated titles we'd like to read during the 2009-2010 year. The Spouse had recently handed me a copy of The Death of Achilles by Boris Akunin. It takes place in 1882 Moscow, and I wanted to read it, so I nominated it. The group approved it at a meeting I did not attend.

Someone kindly created a schedule with a hostess, a book, and a presenter for each month. When they read your book, you are the presenter.

I have been in book groups before, but we never actually discussed the book.

These people seem to really talk about the book.

I mean, in my previous experiences we read the book, but no one ever discussed the book.

Book group usually went like this:

Someone: Didja read the book?Someone Else: Yeah. I liked/didn't like it.Someone: What do you wanna read for next time?Someone Else: How about this? [holds up a book]Someone: Okay. Is the waiter ever going to bring my glass of wine?Someone Else: Gawd, I am so angry with my husband! This morning he had the nerve to . . .

So September rolls around, the group begins anew, and Friend gets a job and politely excuses herself from the group.

I skip the October meeting because they were reading The History of Love, which I read and adored, but I apparently gave away my copy and didn't feel like buying/hunting down another one.

Plus, it made me cry. I don't need to go there again.

Plus, with Friend gone, I'm not sure I will know anyone in this group.

Plus, THEY ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT THE BOOKS!

This week I plowed through the rest of An Echo in the Bone, telling myself that I can then read The Death of Achilles over the weekend.

AEITB was 814 pages.

TDOA is only 320.

Piece. Of. Cake.

Except on Tuesday the Anglo Russian Theatre guy sends me an email with a script for a hysterical version of Lysistrata attached and asks, "Fancy making a comeback?"

Oh, and I got a pitiful SMS a few minutes ago asking if I would please, oh, please play "The Host" in another sketch.

And I'm probably "Third Bruce" in still another sketch.

So I should be cranking through The Death of Achilles now so I can get it out of the way before Friday.

Instead I am watching YouTube videos of the sketch in which I play "The Host," memorizing the lyrics to "The Philosopher's Song," trying to remember how to do an Australian accent (I did live there for two months once. . . in 1977), and writing this blog entry.

5 comments:

WEll it really seems like you have a lot of homework ahead... Like me and my paper grading... The university is closed today...locked up for Vet's Day, Like Xmas, so I could go to my office but why? I have all of my work here... And I told my students that I wasn't going in today so there's that!

I am free to go to Krogers and to the Doc's for a bone scan. You know the one we are supposed to get as a baseline for osteoporosis... I don' think mine will be bad; there is none in my family as far as I know...When your mom dies young as mine did at 63, which believe me is young from where I stand looking ahead, you don't have any med hist to help out...

So get your mom's now, everyone, while they are still alive because you may need the info in the future! Although I hope you never do!

So that's my day... Out of the cage, well it is a velvet cage, and then back to my computer to write their final exam...

HOW shall I torture them? Shall I be kind and write a test which allows them to show what they know, which is what a good exam should do?

Did I mention that the Barefoot Contessa is on? And there's always Oprah... Alas, how we procrastinate!xov